Embattled liquor baron Vijay Mallya told a special court here on Monday that the Enforcement Directorate (ED) “resisted” his efforts to settle his loans with public sector banks. Mallya, who is currently in the United Kingdom, has been charged by the ED of defaulting on bank loans to the tune of Rs 9,000 crore. Mallya, through his counsel, was replying in the PMLA court of Judge MS Azmi to an ED application seeking that he be declared a fugitive under the Fugitive Economic Offenders Act.

In his reply, Mallya stated that “despite continuing efforts over the last two to three years, when efforts have been made to repay the public sector banks, instead of taking steps to facilitate the process of repayment to banks, the ED has, at every step, resisted this effort”. Mallya’s reply also stated that the ED’s application, in its endeavour to confiscate assets, is one which is contrary to public and national interest. Objecting to the ED plea to declare him a fugitive, Mallya mentioned that he has been cooperating with the authorities in the UK in extradition proceedings and has submitted himself to the jurisdiction and process of the UK courts- a process invoked at the behest of the government of India.